Uribe Ordered Illegal Wiretaps, Former Colombian Spy Says

[Judi Lynn]

Source: EFE/Latin American Herald Tribune

Caracas,
Sunday
December 19,2010
Uribe Ordered Illegal Wiretaps, Former Colombian Spy Says

BOGOTA – A former senior official of Colombia’s DAS security service who is currently jailed over an illegal wiretapping scandal said the main intended recipient of transcripts of the intercepted communication was ex-President Alvaro Uribe.

William Romero told radio stations that he received orders from then-DAS director Maria del Pilar Hurtado – who went into exile in Panama a few weeks ago – to spy on Supreme Court justices.

Hurtado told her subordinates the order for the illegal spying came from Uribe, who left office in August after two four-year terms, Romero said.

The targets of the warrantless wiretapping by DAS, which reports directly to the office of the president, included Supreme Court justices, opposition politicians, journalists and activists, including foreigners visiting Colombia.

Read more: http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=381815&CategoryId=12393

[villager]

1. as a Giants fan, these headlines make me wonder what Juan Uribe was up to...

Though perhaps I'll let Dodgers fans worry about that now... ;-)

[Judi Lynn]

2. Uribe press secretary interrogated over wiretaps

Uribe press secretary interrogated over wiretaps
Monday, 06 December 2010 11:22 Adriaan Alsema

Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, press secretary to former President Alvaro Uribe, was interrogated by public prosecutors about his alleged role in the wiretapping of government opponents.

Velasquez, who is currently Colombia's ambassador to the Vatican, arrived at the prosecutor general's main office in Bogota where he was summoned to respond to accusations from DAS officials that he was personally informed about the illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court judges, journalists, politicians and human rights organizations by state intelligence agency DAS.

The scandal caused international outrage and has led to Uribe's former chief of staff and one DAS director, who fled to Panama to seek asylum, being barred from public office.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13275-former-press-secretary-interrogated-over-wiretapping-uribe-opponents.html

[EFerrari]

3. There it is. n/t

[malaise]

4. Those with sense merely said

Duh! It was that obvious.

[EFerrari]

5. Right. And now his sec of defense is president.

The same guy that helped fill the mass graves. Poor Colombia.

[rabs]

6. Hil introduces uribito to Obama

Caption: "Mr. President, the expert in denial of wiretapping has just arrived."

-----------------------

Judi, there is a big problem with this story. The headline said uribito "ordered" the wiretapping, according to Romero who SAID Hurtado had SAID that.

I have not seen that Hurtado actually accused uribito. Had she said that while she was still in Bogota, her life would not have been worth a plugged peso.

Also, were it so, would uribito have twisted the arm of the rightwing president of Panama, Martinelli, to grant "political asylum" to Hurtado a few weeks ago ??



"I don't need to seek asylum ... I can defend myself."


(edit to add second cartoon)